2015
2015 was designated as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soils __TOC__ Events January * January 1 **The Eurasian Economic Union comes into effect, creating a political and economic union between Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. ** Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes the nineteenth Eurozone country. * January 3–7 – A series of massacres in Baga, Nigeria and surrounding villages by Boko Haram kills more than 2,000 people. *January 7 – Two gunmen belonging to Al-Qaeda's Yemen branch kill 12 people and injure 11 more at the Paris headquarters of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, prompting an anti-terrorism demonstration attended by over a million people and more than 40 world leaders. * January 12 – Government raids kill 143 Boko Haram fighters in Kolofata, Cameroon. * January 15 – The Swiss National Bank abandons the cap on the franc's value relative to the euro, causing turmoil in international financial markets. * January 19 – The Eritrean Catholic Church is founded. * January 22 – After Houthi forces seize the presidential palace, Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi resigns after months of unrest. February * February 12 ** Leaders from Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France reach an agreement on the conflict in eastern Ukraine that includes a ceasefire and withdrawal of heavy weapons. However, several days later, the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian rebels claim that, within its first day, the ceasefire was broken 139 times, as both sides failed to withdraw their heavy weapons and fighting had continued. ** The United Nations Security Council adopts Resolution 2199 to combat terrorism. * February 14 – Two people were killed and five policemen wounded in Copenhagen, Denmark, at a shooting at Krudtønden cultural centre and the Great Synagogue. * February 16 – The Egyptian military begins conducting airstrikes against a branch of the Islamic militant group ISIL in Libya in retaliation for the group's beheading of over a dozen Egyptian Christians. March * March 5–8 – The ancient city sites of Nimrud, Hatra and Dur-Sharrukin in Iraq are demolished by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. * March 6 – NASA's Dawn probe enters orbit around Ceres, becoming the first spacecraft to visit a dwarf planet. * March 12 – The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant becomes allies with fellow jihadist group Boko Haram, effectively annexing the group. * March 20 – A total solar eclipse was visible in the north Atlantic, Faroe Islands, Svalbard. It was the 61st eclipse of the 120th saros cycle which started on May 27, 933 AD and will end on July 7, 2195, which is 180 years ahead of 2015. * March 24 – An Airbus A320-211 operated by Germanwings crashes in the French Alps, killing all 150 on board. * March 25 – A Saudi Arabia-led coalition of Arab countries starts a military intervention in Yemen in order to uphold the Yemeni government in its fight against the Houthis' southern offensive. April * April 2 – 148 people are killed, the majority students, in a mass shooting at the Garissa University College in Kenya, perpetrated by the militant terrorist organization Al-Shabaab. * April 4 - A total lunar eclipse was visible in Asia, Australia, Pacific and Americas. It was a shallow total lunar eclipse, with 0.08% of that diameter inside of the Earth's umbral shadow, and it was the 30th eclipse of the 132nd saros cycle, which began with a penumbral lunar eclipse in Earth's penumbral northern edge of the shadow on May 12, 1492 and will conclude with another penumbral lunar eclipse in Earth's penumbral southern edge of the shadow on June 26, 2754. * April 25 – A magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes Nepal and causes 8,857 deaths in Nepal, 130 in India, 27 in China and 4 in Bangladesh with a total of 9,018 deaths. * April 29 – The World Health Organization (WHO) declares that rubella has been eradicated from the Americas. May * May 1 – October 31 – Expo 2015 is held in Milan, Italy. * May 7 – the 2015 UK General Election results in the first Conservative majority government in 18 years. * May 11–12 – Version O of Les Femmes d'Alger by Pablo Picasso sells for US$179.3 million at Christie's auction in New York, while the sculpture L'Homme au doigt by Alberto Giacometti sells for US$141.3 million, setting a new world record for a painting and for a sculpture, respectively. * May 12 – A second major earthquake in Nepal, measuring 7.3 on the moment magnitude scale, results in 153 deaths in Nepal, 62 in India, 1 in China and 2 in Bangladesh with a total of 218 deaths. * May 20 – The two constituent republics of Novorossiya, the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic, announce the suspension of the Novorossiya project, returning to separate (though internationally unrecognised) states. * May 21 – ISIS captures the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria. * May 23 – Ireland votes to legalize same-sex marriage, becoming the first country to legalize same-sex marriage by popular vote. June * June 2 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter announces his intention to resign amidst an FBI-led corruption investigation, and calls for an extraordinary congress to elect a new president as soon as possible. * June 6 – The governments of India and Bangladesh officially ratify their 1974 agreement to exchange enclaves along their border. * June 25–26 – ISIL claim responsibility for three attacks around the world during Ramadan: **Kobanî massacre: ISIL fighters detonate three car bombs, enter Kobanî, Syria, and open fire at civilians, killing more than 220. ** Sousse attacks: 22-year-old Seifeddine Rezgui opens fire at a tourist resort at Port El Kantaoui, Tunisia, killing 38 people. ** Kuwait mosque bombing: A suicide bomber attacks the Shia Mosque Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq at Kuwait City, Kuwait, killing 27 people and injuring 227 others. * June 30 – Cuba becomes the first country in the world to eradicate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis. July *July 1 – Greek government-debt crisis: Greece becomes the first advanced economy to miss a payment to the International Monetary Fund in the 71-year history of the IMF. *July 5–13 – Greek government-debt crisis: After six months of clashes and futile negotiations between Greece's newly elected, leftist government and the country's creditors, over the austerity measures imposed through bailout programmes, tension peaks as Greece votes in a referendum to reject the terms offered in a third programme; however the government eventually proceeds to concur to harsher terms than those offered before, in what was widely characterized as a coup on the creditors' part. *July 14 ** NASA's New Horizons spacecraft performs a close flyby of Pluto, becoming the first spacecraft in history to visit the distant world. ** Iran agrees to long-term limits of its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. *July 20 – Cuba and the United States reestablish full diplomatic relations, ending a 54-year stretch of hostility between the nations. *July 24 – Turkey begins a series of airstrikes against PKK and ISIL targets after the 2015 Suruç bombing. August *August 5 – Debris found on Réunion Island is confirmed to be that of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, missing since March 2014. *August 17 – A bombing takes place inside the Erawan Shrine at the Ratchaprasong intersection in Pathum Wan District, Bangkok, Thailand, killing 20 people and injuring 125. September * September 10 – Scientists announce the discovery of Homo naledi, a previously unknown species of early human in South Africa. * September 11 – Queen Elizabeth II, having been on the throne for , became the longest-reigning British monarch in history and the longest-serving head of state of any nation in modern history, surpassing Queen Victoria who had reigned for upon her death on January 22, 1901. * September 13 - A partial solar eclipse was visible in South Africa, south Indian and Antartica. It was the 54th eclipse of the 125th saros cycle which began with a partial solar eclipse on February 4, 1060 and will end on April 9, 2358. * September 14 ** First observation of gravitational waves: Gravitational waves are detected for the first time, by LIGO. This is not announced until February 11, 2016. ** Malcolm Turnbull defeats Tony Abbott in a Liberal Party leadership ballot. Turnbull becomes Prime Minister of Australia, being sworn in the following day. * September 18 – Automaker Volkswagen is alleged to have been involved in worldwide rigging of diesel emissions tests, affecting an estimated 11 million vehicles globally. * September 24 – A stampede during the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca kills at least 2,200 people and injures more than 900 others, with more than 650 missing. ** September 28 * NASA announces that liquid water has been found on Mars. * A total lunar eclipse was visible in Eastern Pacific, Americas, Europe, Africa and western Asia. It was the 26th eclipse of the 137th saros cycle, which began with a penumbral lunar eclipse in Earth's penumbral southern edge of the shadow on December 17, 1564 and will conclude with another penumbral lunar eclipse in Earth's penumbral northern edge of the shadow on April 20, 2953. * September 30 – Russia begins air strikes against ISIL and anti-government forces in Syria, in support of the Syrian government. October * October 3 – A United States airstrike on a Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) hospital in Afghanistan accidentally kills an estimated 20 people. * October 10 – A series of suicide bombings kills at least 100 people at a peace rally in Ankara, Turkey, and injures more than 400 others. * October 23 – Hurricane Patricia becomes the most intense hurricane ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere and the second strongest worldwide, with winds of 215 mph and a pressure of 872 mbar. * October 26 – A magnitude 7.5 earthquake strikes the Hindu Kush region and causes 398 deaths, with 279 in Pakistan, 115 in Afghanistan and 4 in India. * October 31 – Kogalymavia Flight 9268, an Airbus A321 airliner en route to Saint Petersburg from Sharm el-Sheikh, crashes near Al-Hasana in Sinai, killing all 217 passengers and 7 crew members on board. November * November 7 – CPC general secretary Xi Jinping and ROC president Ma Ying-jeou formally meet for the first time. * November 12 – Two suicide bombers detonated explosives in Bourj el-Barajneh, Beirut, killing 43 people and injuring over 200 others. * November 13 – Multiple terrorist attacks claimed by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Paris, France, result in 130 fatalities. * November 24 – Turkey shoots down a Russian fighter jet on the Turkish-Syrian border in the first case of a NATO member destroying a Russian aircraft since the 1950s. * November 30 – The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 21) is held in Paris, attended by leaders from 147 nations. December *December 2 – Two gunmen open fire at a workplace in San Bernardino, California, killing 14 before dying themselves in a shootout with police. ISIL claimed responsibility. * December 12 – A global climate change pact is agreed at the COP 21 summit, committing all countries to reduce carbon emissions for the first time. * December 15 – The Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition is formed in order to fight terrorism. * December 22 – SpaceX lands an unmanned Falcon 9 rocket, the first reusable rocket to successfully enter orbital space and return. Births * May 2 – Princess Charlotte of Cambridge * June 15 – Prince Nicolas, Duke of Ångermanland Deaths January * January 1 ** Ulrich Beck, German sociologist (b. 1944) ** Mario Cuomo, American politician (b. 1932) ** Donna Douglas, American actress (b. 1932) ** Omar Karami, 29th Prime Minister of Lebanon (b. 1934) ** Boris Morukov, Russian cosmonaut (b. 1950) * January 2 – Little Jimmy Dickens, American country singer and songwriter (b. 1920) * January 3 – Edward Brooke, American politician (b. 1919) * January 4 ** Pino Daniele, Italian singer, songwriter, and guitarist (b. 1955) ** Stuart Scott, American sports journalist (b. 1965) * January 5 – Jean-Pierre Beltoise, French race car driver (b. 1937) * January 6 – Vlastimil Bubník, Czech ice hockey player and footballer (b. 1931) * January 7 ** Tadeusz Konwicki, Polish writer and film director (b. 1926) ** Rod Taylor, Australian actor (b. 1930) * January 8 – Andraé Crouch, American singer, songwriter, and pastor (b. 1942) * January 9 – Józef Oleksy, Polish politician, 49th Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1946) * January 10 – Francesco Rosi, Italian film director (b. 1922) * January 11 ** Jenő Buzánszky, Hungarian footballer (b. 1925) ** Anita Ekberg, Swedish actress (b. 1931) * January 12 – Elena Obraztsova, Russian opera singer (b. 1939) * January 16 – Yao Beina, Chinese singer (b. 1981) * January 17 – Faten Hamama, Egyptian actress (b. 1931) * January 20 ** Edgar Froese, German musician (b. 1944) ** Hitoshi Saito, Japanese judoka (b. 1961) * January 21 – Leon Brittan, British politician (b. 1939) * January 23 ** King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (b. 1924) ** Ernie Banks, American baseball player (b. 1931) * January 24 – Otto Carius, German WWII tank commander (b. 1922) * January 25 – Demis Roussos, Greek singer (b. 1946) * January 27 – Charles Hard Townes, American Nobel physicist (b. 1915) * January 28 – Yves Chauvin, French Nobel chemist (b. 1930) * January 29 – Colleen McCullough, Australian writer (b. 1937) * January 30 ** Carl Djerassi, American chemist (b. 1923) ** Geraldine McEwan, British actress (b. 1932) ** Zhelyu Zhelev, 1st President of Bulgaria (b. 1935) * January 31 ** Lizabeth Scott, American actress (b. 1922) ** Richard von Weizsäcker, German politician, 10th President of Germany (b. 1920) February * February 1 ** Aldo Ciccolini, Italian-born French pianist (b. 1925) ** Udo Lattek, German footballer and coach (b. 1935) ** Monty Oum, American animator and writer (b. 1981) * February 3 – Martin Gilbert, English historian (b. 1936) * February 5 ** Henri Coppens, Belgian footballer and coach (b. 1930) ** Val Logsdon Fitch, American Nobel physicist (b. 1923) * February 6 ** André Brink, South African writer (b. 1935) ** Assia Djebar, Algerian writer (b. 1936) * February 7 ** Marshall Rosenberg, American psychologist and writer (b. 1934) ** Dean Smith, American basketball player and coach (b. 1931) * February 10 – Karl Josef Becker, German cardinal (b. 1928) * February 11 – Bob Simon, American correspondent (b. 1941) * February 12 ** Movita Castaneda, American actress (b. 1916) ** Gary Owens, American disc jockey, actor, and radio announcer (b. 1934) * February 14 ** Michele Ferrero, Italian businessman (b. 1925) ** Louis Jourdan, French-American actor (b. 1921) ** Franjo Mihalić, Croatian-Serbian athlete and coach (b. 1920) ** Wim Ruska, Dutch wrestler and martial artist (b. 1940) * February 16 ** Lesley Gore, American singer (b. 1946) ** Lorena Rojas, Mexican actress (b. 1971) * February 18 – Claude Criquielion, Belgian road bicycle racer (b. 1957) * February 19 – Betty Lou Bredemus, American actress and acting coach (b. 1934) * February 21 ** Aleksei Gubarev, Russian cosmonaut (b. 1931) ** Clark Terry, American jazz trumpeter and flugelhornist (b. 1920) * February 23 – Ben Woolf, American actor (b. 1980) * February 24 ** Rakhat Aliyev, Kazakh politician and businessman (b. 1962) ** Irving Kahn, American financial analyst and investor (b. 1905) * February 27 ** Boris Nemtsov, Russian politician (b. 1959) ** Leonard Nimoy, American actor (b. 1931) * February 28 ** Yaşar Kemal, Turkish author (b. 1923) ** Anthony Mason, American basketball player (b. 1966) March * March 1 ** Joshua Fishman, American linguist (b. 1926) ** Minnie Miñoso, Cuban baseball player (b. 1925) ** Wolfram Wuttke, German footballer (b. 1961) * March 2 – Dave Mackay, Scottish footballer and coach (b. 1934) * March 5 – Edward Egan, American cardinal (b. 1932) * March 7 ** Shinji Ogawa, Japanese voice actor and actor (b. 1941) ** Yoshihiro Tatsumi, Japanese manga artist (b. 1935) * March 8 – Sam Simon, American producer and philanthropist (b. 1955) * March 9 ** Camille Muffat, French swimmer (b. 1989) ** Frei Otto, German architect (b. 1925) ** Alexis Vastine, French boxer (b. 1986) ** Windell Middlebrooks, American actor (b. 1979) * March 10 – Fred Fredericks, American cartoonist (b. 1929) * March 11 – Walter Burkert, German academic and writer (b. 1931) * March 12 ** Michael Graves, American architect (b. 1934) ** Terry Pratchett, English writer (b. 1948) * March 13 – Daevid Allen, Australian musician (b. 1938) * March 14 – Valentin Rasputin, Russian writer (b. 1937) * March 15 ** Mike Porcaro, American bass guitarist (b. 1955) ** Xu Caihou, Chinese army general (b. 1943) * March 16 – Andy Fraser, English songwriter and bass guitarist (b. 1952) * March 19 – Gerda van der Kade-Koudijs, Dutch athlete (b. 1923) * March 20 – Malcolm Fraser, Australian politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1930) * March 21 ** Hans Erni, Swiss artist (b. 1909) ** Jørgen Ingmann, Danish musician (b. 1925) ** Alberta Watson, Canadian actress (b. 1955) * March 23 – Lee Kuan Yew, 1st Prime Minister of Singapore (b. 1923) * March 26 ** Dinkha IV, Iraqi Patriarch (b. 1935) ** Tomas Tranströmer, Swedish Nobel poet and translator (b. 1931) * March 27 – Olga Syahputra, Indonesian actor and singer (b. 1983) * March 29 – Miroslav Ondříček, Czech cinematographer (b. 1934) * March 30 – Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld, Dutch astronomer (b. 1921) April * April 1 – Cynthia Lennon, English writer (b. 1939) * April 2 ** Hayley Okines, English progeria activist (b. 1997) ** Manoel de Oliveira, Portuguese film director and screenwriter (b. 1908) ** Robert Schuller, American televangelist and motivational speaker (b. 1926) * April 4 – Klaus Rifbjerg, Danish author (b. 1931) * April 6 – James Best, American actor (b. 1926) * April 7 ** Stan Freberg, American author, actor, comedian, and radio personality (b. 1926) ** Geoffrey Lewis, American actor (b. 1935) * April 8 – Jean-Claude Turcotte, Canadian cardinal (b. 1936) * April 10 – Rose Francine Rogombé, Gabonese lawyer and politician (b. 1942) * April 13 ** Thelma Coyne Long, Australian tennis player (b. 1918) ** Eduardo Galeano, Uruguayan writer (b. 1940) ** Günter Grass, German Nobel writer (b. 1927) * April 14 ** Percy Sledge, American singer (b. 1940) ** Roberto Tucci, Italian cardinal (b. 1921) * April 15 – Surya Bahadur Thapa, 24th Prime Minister of Nepal (b. 1928) * April 16 – Stanislav Gross, 5th Prime Minister of the Czech Republic (b. 1969) * April 17 – Francis George, American cardinal (b. 1937) * April 24 – Władysław Bartoszewski, Polish politician and resistance fighter (b. 1922) * April 26 ** Izatullo Khayoyev, 6th Prime Minister of Tajikistan (b. 1936) ** Jayne Meadows, American actress and author (b. 1919) * April 27 ** Verne Gagne, American professional wrestler (b. 1926) ** Andrew Lesnie, Australian cinematographer (b. 1956) * April 29 – Giovanni Canestri, Italian prelate (b. 1918) * April 30 – Ben E. King, American soul and R&B singer (b. 1938) May * May 1 ** Geoff Duke, British motorcycle racer (b. 1923) ** Grace Lee Whitney, American actress and singer (b. 1930) * May 2 ** Maya Plisetskaya, Soviet Union-born Lithuanian and Spanish ballet dancer, choreographer, ballet director, and actress (b. 1925) ** Ruth Rendell, British author and life peer (b. 1930) * May 9 – Kenan Evren, Turkish military officer and politician, 7th President of Turkey (b. 1917) * May 10 – Chris Burden, American artist (b. 1946) * May 12 – Peter Gay, American psychohistorian (b. 1923) * May 14 – B.B. King, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1925) * May 15 – Renzo Zorzi, Italian racing driver (b. 1946) * May 17 – Margaret Dunning, American businesswoman and philanthropist (b. 1910) * May 18 ** Halldór Ásgrímsson, Prime Minister of Iceland (b. 1947) ** Raymond Gosling, British scientist (b. 1926) * May 19 – Gerald Götting, German politician (b. 1923) * May 21 – Annarita Sidoti, Italian race walker (b. 1969) * May 23 ** Anne Meara, American actress and comedian (b. 1929) ** John Forbes Nash Jr., American Nobel mathematician (b. 1928) * May 24 – Tanith Lee, British writer (b. 1947) * May 25 – Mary Ellen Mark, American photographer (b. 1940) * May 26 – Vicente Aranda, Spanish film director (b. 1926) * May 27 – Nils Christie, Norwegian criminologist (b. 1928) * May 29 ** Henry Carr, American Olympic athlete (b. 1941) ** Doris Hart, American tennis player (b. 1925) ** Betsy Palmer, American actress (b. 1926) June * June 1 ** Charles Kennedy, British politician (b. 1959) ** Nicholas Liverpool, Dominican politician, sixth President of Dominica (b. 1934) * June 2 – Irwin Rose, American Nobel biochemist (b. 1926) * June 4 – Hermann Zapf, German typeface designer (b. 1918) * June 5 – Tariq Aziz, Iraqi politician (b. 1936) * June 6 ** Pierre Brice, French actor (b. 1929) ** Vincent Bugliosi, American lawyer and author (b. 1934) * June 7 – Christopher Lee, English actor (b. 1922) * June 8 – Mary Ellen Trainor, American actress (b. 1952) * June 9 – James Last, German composer and big band leader (b. 1929) * June 11 ** Jim Ed Brown, American country singer (b. 1934) ** Ornette Coleman, American free jazz saxophonist (b. 1930) ** Vittorio De Angelis, Italian voice actor (b. 1962) ** Ron Moody, British actor (b. 1924) ** Dusty Rhodes, American professional wrestler (b. 1945) * June 14 ** Qiao Shi, Chinese politician (b. 1924) ** Zito, Brazilian footballer (b. 1932) * June 15 ** Jeanna Friske, Russian singer, model, and actress (b. 1974) ** Kirk Kerkorian, American businessman (b. 1917) * June 16 – Charles Correa, Indian architect (b. 1930) * June 17 ** Ron Clarke, Australian runner (b. 1937) ** Süleyman Demirel, Turkish politician, 9th President of Turkey (b. 1924) ** Roberto M. Levingston, Argentine general and politician, 36th President of Argentina (b. 1920) * June 20 – Esther Brand, South African athlete (b. 1922) * June 21 ** Veijo Meri, Finnish writer (b. 1928) ** Gunther Schuller, American composer, conductor, historian, and jazz musician (b. 1925) * June 22 ** Laura Antonelli, Italian actress (b. 1941) ** James Horner, American film composer (b. 1953) * June 23 ** Magali Noël, French actress and singer (b. 1931) ** Dick Van Patten, American actor (b. 1928) * June 25 ** Patrick Macnee, English actor (b. 1922) ** Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni, Armenian Patriarch of Cilicia (b. 1940) * June 26 – Yevgeny Primakov, Russian politician and diplomat, 29th Prime Minister of Russia (b. 1929) * June 27 – Chris Squire, English bass guitarist (b. 1948) * June 29 ** Josef Masopust, Czech football player and coach (b. 1931) ** Charles Pasqua, French politician (b. 1927) July * July 1 ** Sergio Sollima, Italian film director (b. 1921) ** Nicholas Winton, British humanitarian (b. 1909) * July 2 – Jacobo Zabludovsky, Mexican journalist (b. 1928) * July 3 – Diana Douglas, Bermudan actress (b. 1923) * July 4 – Valerio Ruggeri, Italian actor and voice actor (b. 1934) * July 5 – Yoichiro Nambu, Japanese-American Nobel physicist (b. 1921) * July 10 ** Roger Rees, Welsh-American actor (b. 1944) ** Omar Sharif, Egyptian actor (b. 1932) ** Jon Vickers, Canadian tenor (b. 1926) * July 11 ** Giacomo Biffi, Italian cardinal (b. 1928) ** Patricia Crone, Danish scholar (b. 1945) ** Satoru Iwata, Japanese businessman and video game programmer (b. 1959) * July 12 – Chenjerai Hove, Zimbabwean poet (b. 1956) * July 13 ** Joan Sebastian, Mexican singer-songwriter (b. 1951) ** Martin Litchfield West, British classical scholar (b. 1937) * July 14 – Ildikó Schwarczenberger, Hungarian fencer (b. 1951) * July 15 – Wan Li, Chinese politician (b. 1916) * July 16 – Alcides Ghiggia, Uruguayan footballer (b. 1926) * July 17 – Jules Bianchi, French race car driver (b. 1989) * July 18 ** George Coe, American actor (b. 1929) ** Alex Rocco, American actor (b. 1936) * July 19 – Galina Prozumenshchikova, Soviet swimmer (b. 1948) * July 21 ** Theodore Bikel, Austrian-born American actor (b. 1924) ** E. L. Doctorow, American author (b. 1931) * July 23 ** William Wakefield Baum, American prelate (b. 1926) ** Mexicano 777, Puerto Rican rapper (b. 1972) * July 26 – Bobbi Kristina Brown, American singer (b. 1993) * July 27 – A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Indian scientist and politician, 11th President of India (b. 1931) * July 28 – Edward Natapei, Vanuatuan politician, 4-time Prime Minister of Vanuatu (b. 1954) * July 30 ** Lynn Anderson, American country singer (b. 1947) ** Alena Vrzáňová, Czech figure skater (b. 1931) * July 31 – Roddy Piper, Canadian wrestler (b. 1954) August * August 1 – Cilla Black, English singer and entertainer (b. 1943) * August 3 – Robert Conquest, British-born American historian (b. 1917) * August 7 ** Manuel Contreras, Chilean general (b. 1929) ** Frances Oldham Kelsey, Canadian physician (b. 1914) * August 8 – Sean Price, American rapper (b. 1972) * August 9 – John Henry Holland, American computer scientist (b. 1929) * August 11 – Harald Nielsen, Danish footballer (b. 1941) * August 12 ** Jaakko Hintikka, Finnish philosopher and logician (b. 1929) ** Stephen Lewis, British actor (b. 1927) * August 14 – Bob Johnston, American record producer (b. 1932) * August 15 – Julian Bond, American civil rights activist (b. 1940) * August 16 – Mile Mrkšić, Serbian military officer (b. 1947) * August 17 ** Jacob Bekenstein, Mexican theoretical physicist (b. 1947) ** Yvonne Craig, American actress (b. 1937) ** Arsen Dedić, Croatian musician (b. 1938) ** László Paskai, Hungarian cardinal (b. 1927) * August 18 – Rama Messinger, Israeli actress and voice actress (b. 1968) * August 19 – Lina Morgan, Spanish actress (b. 1936) * August 20 – Egon Bahr, German politician (b. 1922) * August 22 ** Ieng Thirith, Cambodian politician (b. 1932) ** Eric Thompson, English racing driver (b. 1919) * August 23 – Guy Ligier, French racing driver and team owner (b. 1930) * August 24 – Justin Wilson, British racing driver (b. 1978) * August 26 – Amelia Boynton Robinson, American civil rights activist (b. 1911) * August 27 – Kazi Zafar Ahmed, 8th Prime Minister of Bangladesh (b. 1939) * August 29 – Wayne Dyer, American author and motivational speaker (b. 1940) * August 30 ** Wes Craven, American film director and writer (b. 1939) ** Oliver Sacks, British-American neurologist and writer (b. 1933) September * September 1 – Dean Jones, American actor (b. 1931) * September 3 – Chandra Bahadur Dangi, Nepalese dwarf, world's shortest man (b. 1939) * September 4 – Rico Rodriguez, Cuban-British musician (b. 1934) * September 5 – Setsuko Hara, Japanese actress (b. 1920) * September 6 – Martin Milner, American actor (b. 1931) * September 7 – Candida Royalle, American actress and director (b. 1950) * September 10 – Adrian Frutiger, Swiss typeface designer (b. 1928) * September 12 – Ron Springett, British footballer (b. 1935) * September 13 – Moses Malone, American basketball player (b. 1955) * September 14 – Corneliu Vadim Tudor, Romanian politician (b. 1949) * September 17 ** Dettmar Cramer, German football coach (b. 1925) ** David Willcocks, English organist, conductor and composer (b. 1919) * September 19 – Jackie Collins, British novelist (b. 1937) * September 22 – Yogi Berra, American baseball player (b. 1925) * September 23 – Dragan Holcer, Croatian footballer (b. 1945) * September 27 ** John Guillermin, British film director and producer (b. 1925) ** Pietro Ingrao, Italian politician (b. 1915) * September 28 – Ignacio Zoco, Spanish footballer (b. 1939) * September 29 – Phil Woods, American saxophonist (b. 1931) October * October 2 ** Eric Arturo Delvalle, Panamanian politician (b. 1937) ** Brian Friel, Irish playwright (b. 1929) * October 3 – Denis Healey, British politician (b. 1917) * October 5 ** Chantal Akerman, Belgian filmmaker (b. 1950) ** Infante Carlos, Spanish nobleman (b. 1938) ** Henning Mankell, Swedish author (b. 1948) * October 6 ** Árpád Göncz, Hungarian politician, President of Hungary (b. 1922) ** Billy Joe Royal, American pop and country singer (b. 1942) * October 7 ** Dominique Dropsy, French footballer (b. 1951) ** Harry Gallatin, American basketball player and coach (b. 1927) ** Elena Lucena, Argentine film actress (b. 1914) ** Jurelang Zedkaia, Fifth President of the Marshall Islands (b. 1950) * October 8 – Jim Diamond, Scottish singer-songwriter (b. 1951) * October 9 – Geoffrey Howe, British politician (b. 1926) * October 10 – Richard F. Heck, American chemist (b. 1931) * October 12 – Joan Leslie, American actress and singer (b. 1925) * October 14 ** Nurlan Balgimbayev, Kazakh politician (b. 1947) ** Mathieu Kérékou, 5th President of Benin (b. 1933) * October 17 **Danièle Delorme, French actress (b. 1926) **Howard Kendall, English footballer and manager (b. 1946) * October 18 – Gamal El-Ghitani, Egyptian author (b. 1945) * October 19 – Ali Treki, Libyan diplomat (b. 1938) * October 23 – Paride Tumburus, Italian footballer (b. 1939) * October 24 ** Ján Chryzostom Korec, Slovakian cardinal (b. 1924) ** Maureen O'Hara, Irish-American actress (b. 1920) * October 25 – Flip Saunders, American basketball player and coach (b. 1955) * October 26 ** Willis Carto, American politician (b. 1926) ** Leo Kadanoff, American physicist (b. 1937) * October 30 ** Al Molinaro, American actor (b. 1919) ** Sinan Şamil Sam, Turkish boxer (b. 1974) * October 31 – Ants Antson, Estonian speed skater (b. 1938) November * November 1 ** Günter Schabowski, German politician (b. 1929) ** Fred Thompson, American politician and actor (b. 1942) * November 3 – Ahmed Chalabi, Iraqi politician (b. 1944) * November 4 ** René Girard, French-American historian (b. 1923) ** Melissa Mathison, American screenwriter (b. 1950) * November 5 ** Nora Brockstedt, Norwegian singer (b. 1923) ** Czesław Kiszczak, Polish soldier and politician (b. 1925) * November 6 – Yitzhak Navon, Israeli politician, President of Israel (b. 1921) * November 7 – Gunnar Hansen, Icelandic-American actor and author (b. 1947) * November 8 ** Abd Al-Karim Al-Iryani, Prime Minister of Yemen (b. 1934) ** Andrei Eshpai, Russian pianist (b. 1925) * November 9 ** Ernst Fuchs, Austrian painter (b. 1930) ** Allen Toussaint, American musician (b. 1938) ** Andy White, Scottish drummer (b. 1930) * November 10 ** André Glucksmann, French philosopher (b. 1937) ** Klaus Roth, British mathematician (b. 1925) ** Helmut Schmidt, German politician, Chancellor of West Germany (b. 1918) * November 11 – Phil Taylor, English rock drummer (b. 1954) * November 12 ** Márton Fülöp, Hungarian footballer (b. 1983) ** Jihadi John, Kuwaiti member of ISIS (b. 1988) * November 15 – Saeed Jaffrey, Indian-British actor (b. 1929) * November 18 ** Jonah Lomu, New Zealand rugby union player (b. 1975) ** Mal Whitfield, American Olympic athlete (b. 1924) * November 20 – Kitanoumi Toshimitsu, Japanese sumo wrestler (b. 1953) * November 21 ** Bob Foster, American boxer (b. 1938) ** Linda Haglund, Swedish sprinter (b. 1956) * November 22 – Kim Young-sam, South Korean politician, President of South Korea (b. 1927) * November 23 – Douglass North, American economist (b. 1920) * November 28 ** Gerry Byrne, English footballer (b. 1938) ** Marjorie Lord, American actress (b. 1918) * November 30 ** Fatema Mernissi, Moroccan feminist writer and sociologist (b. 1940) ** Shigeru Mizuki, Japanese manga artist (b. 1922) ** Eldar Ryazanov, Russian film director (b. 1927) December * December 1 – Jim Loscutoff, American basketball player (b. 1930) * December 2 ** Gabriele Ferzetti, Italian actor (b. 1925) ** Ferenc Juhász, Hungarian poet (b. 1928) * December 3 – Scott Weiland, American singer and musician (b. 1967) * December 4 ** Erik De Vlaeminck, Belgian professional cyclist (b. 1945) ** Robert Loggia, American actor (b. 1930) ** Yossi Sarid, Israeli politician (b. 1940) * December 5 – Dimitar Iliev Popov, 41st Prime Minister of Bulgaria (b. 1927) * December 6 – Franzl Lang, German Yodeler (b. 1930) * December 7 – Martin E. Brooks, American actor (b. 1925) * December 8 – Alan Hodgkinson, English footballer (b. 1936) * December 9 ** Carlo Furno, Italian cardinal (b. 1921) ** Julio Terrazas Sandoval, Bolivian cardinal (b. 1936) * December 10 ** Arnold Peralta, Honduran footballer (b. 1989) ** Dolph Schayes, American basketball player and coach (b. 1928) * December 13 – Benedict Anderson, American academic (b. 1936) * December 15 – Licio Gelli, Italian financier (b. 1919) * December 19 ** Jimmy Hill, English footballer and television presenter (b. 1928) ** Greville Janner, British politician, barrister, and writer (b. 1928) ** Kurt Masur, German conductor (b. 1927) * December 23 ** Alfred G. Gilman, American Nobel pharmacologist and biochemist (b. 1941) ** Don Howe, English footballer (b. 1935) ** Bülent Ulusu, 18th Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1923) * December 27 ** Stein Eriksen, Norwegian alpine skier, Olympic champion (b. 1927) ** Ellsworth Kelly, American artist (b. 1923) ** Haskell Wexler, American cinematographer and film director (b. 1922) * December 28 ** Eloy Inos, American politician, Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands (b. 1949) ** Lemmy, British rock musiciam (b. 1945) ** Ian Murdock, German-American software programmer (b. 1973) * December 29 ** Elżbieta Krzesińska, Polish athlete (b. 1934) ** Pavel Srníček, Czech footballer (b. 1968) * December 31 ** Natalie Cole, American singer, songwriter and actress (b. 1950) ** Wayne Rogers, American actor (b. 1933) Nobel Prizes * Chemistry – Paul L. Modrich; Aziz Sancar and Tomas Lindahl * Economics – Angus Deaton * Literature – Svetlana Alexievich * Peace – Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet * Physics – Takaaki Kajita and Arthur B. McDonald * Physiology or Medicine – William C. Campbell, Satoshi Ōmura and Tu Youyou New English words *''aquafaba'' See also *List of international years References Category:2015